Popcornflix

Sometime around the first year or two of my Streaming Life, in 2011 or 2013, I found an app called Popcornflix. It was one of the first ad-supported streaming services I saw. It and Crackle were among the first streaming services that were not part of the mainstream. Prior to my using finding those apps, most of my streaming consisted of Hulu Plus (as it was known then), Netflix, and Amazon Prime (the old name of Prime Video).

I don't have to explain those mainstream apps, of course, but I will anyway. Netflix was, well, Netflix. Hulu Plus was for current TV season content, or at least what was available from the service; it was only broadcast network content. Amazon Prime video app was mainly for watching content I purchased from Amazon, which was mostly current TV series that weren't on Hulu Plus.

Then, I discovered Crackle and Popcornflix around the same time. They has a few titles I knew about, but most of what those apps carried was stuff I had never heard of. Still, I was intrigued and watched content from the two services from time to time. Sony eventually bought Crackle and spruced it up quite a bit. They even changed the name to Sony Crackle.

Popcornflix continued doing what it did, and was eventually bought up by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. It was always what you expected. Mostly movies you never heard of, with a few gems in the mix.

Chicken Soup for the Soul has acquired Crackle (as it's known again) in the last couple of years, and now those two apps I discovered around the same time are now sibling services. Crackle is still  offering more name content than Popcornflix, but it has that feature that showed up during Sony's time: playing content in the background. I hate that.

Popcornflix has made some changes. I read that in passing this week -- I don't remember where -- and decided to check it out. The interface has changed a bit. They've made it a more modern looking interface, but the content is still the same kind of content.

Popcornflix has some movies you're heard of (he Sum of All Fears, The Naked Gun, In Too Deep) and some TV shows you have heard of (The Saint, The Greatest American Hero, Thunderbirds). And then there is the content would expect (Atlantic Rim, Mega Piranha, The Big Bird Cage). The good are good but not great, and the bad are loveably bad.

The interface has changed, but it works well, Well, mostly well. There is one consistent issue on Roku: the row beneath the banner content will overlap on a return from inside a selection, but it's easy enough to get out of it. Still, that bug is annoying. The bug isn't on the Android/Google TV version of the app. For the record, that's a coding issue, not a device issue, since the different operating systems of Roku and Android mean the apps are coded differently. Otherwise the interface works well.

What I can say about the app is: it's Popcornflix. It has what you'd expect, and some of the content is better than you might expect. It's ad supported and it's free. It's worth a shot. It's not the first app I look for, and probably won't be the first one you go for, but it is worth giving a look. It may become a regular part of your Streaming Life.

How long should your streaming device last?

I don't know if I'm the best person to suggest how often you should expect to replace your primary streaming device. You see, in the early days of streaming, I got a new Roku device every year, when the new ones were released. In 2010, I bought the Roku XDS, which was the top of the line device.

Less than a year later, I replaced it with the Roku 2 XS, the new top of the line device. That stayed tops in Roku's lineup for two years.

In 2013, Roku introduced the Roku 3, which I bought and retired the Roku 2 XS. When they updated the Roku 23 in 2015, I didn't replace it, since the update was really just the headphones, or earbuds. The device didn't have any appreciable change, hence the keeping of the Roku 3 name.

Where all this changed was later in 2013 when the Roku 4 was released. I heard early reports of issues with the device, and was really happy with my Roku 3.

Don't get me wrong, I was happy with my Roku XDS and my Roku 2 XS when I replaced them. However, in my experience, the Roku 3 had fewer problems. I never noticed problems with the earlier Roku devices I had, at least not until the lack of problems with the Roku 3. The XDS and 2 XS required occasional reboots, but many devices do. But the Roku 3 seemed to require a lot fewer. Enough fewer for me to notice.

So, when the Roku 4 was released, I didn't run out and buy one. I waited, and saw early reports of issues. Roku replaced the Roku 4 with the Roku Ultra a year later, keeping the same appearance as the Roku 4, but changing the device on the inside. The Roku 4 had a fan and power button. It's the only Roku that had that, and the fact they did away with them indicated to me that they were very aware of the issues.

I didn't buy that first version of the Roku Ultra. I didn't hear anything bad about it, I didn't see anything it brought to the table for me. I didn't need the optical output, and that's really the only thing extra it offered. When I needed to buy an additional (not a replacement, just an addition) Roku, I bought the next version of the Ultra in 2017.

I used the Roku 3 after getting the Ultra. A change of TV watching habits and my beginning to manage TV at multiple households meant the retired devices weren't retired, just moved. The Roku 3 stayed in service for years, as did the Roku Ultra. In fact, I only recently retired the Roku 3, and the Roku Ultra is still operating. I've not purchased a newer Ultra. I still have the 2017 model.

I purchased some other models for secondary TVs, and they are still in operation. I've found Roku devices to be very reliable, at least the models I've purchased. Note that I've not used the low end models, only the higher end devices. Maybe that's why.

But, to the topic at hand. How long should your streaming device last? I'm going to say four years. I almost said five, but I think four is more reasonable.

That is not to say you should replace your streaming device every four years. I'm saying you should be prepared to if necessary. Or if you just really want to. But I would expect any I purchase to last four years.

It's been four years since I bought my Roku Ultra. Am I going to replace it? One day, sure. But not today. I expect my devices to remain in my Streaming Life for some time yet.

Classic Doctor Who

I remember watching Doctor Who episodes when they used to air on PBS back in the ... whenever it was, it was a long time ago.

I never saw any William Hartnell or Patrick Troughton episodes, I can't say that I saw Jon Pertwee episodes, but something about him as The Doctor seemed familiar when I watched them later. I did watch some Tom Baker episodes, and some Peter Davison episodes. I remember Colin Baker, but not his outfit, so I'm thinking I saw the regeneration from Davison to Baker. I don't remember seeing Sylvester McCoy episodes on PBS.

Years later, my sister had started watching the revival of the show, and suggested that I would like it. I thought I'd give it a try, and researched it, finding out it wasn't really a reboot, but a continuation of the original series. At least, it recognized the original series was canon. David Tennant, who was the current Doctor when she made the suggestion, was the 10th Doctor, not the 2nd. So the old shows counted.

Now, a little thing about me. I won't pick up in the middle. I'll go back to the beginning. So, I decided if I would watch the new series, I'd start with the old series. I mean, how many episodes could there be?

A lot. That's the answer, There were a lot of old episodes. 26 seasons, in fact, averaging over 25 episodes per season. 694 episodes and a 2-hour special. So, what was I to do? Get busy, that's what.

I went about watching the old shows. That's when I found out they didn't all exist. Over 100 episodes were missing. So, I started watching the ones I could, starting at the beginning. And here's the thing. I liked it. I really liked it.

Yes, it was different. Production values were limited. But it had a charm. So I as I began finding the shows online, I discovered there were reconstructions of the missing episodes. All of the audio of the missing shows existed -- lots of different reasons for some, but enough that everything was there in audio format -- and some people had started a project (Loose Cannon) where they used clips and promotional pictures to storyboard the audios. The episodes existed to a degree. So, I was able to fill in the gaps. I enjoyed the show.

How much did I enjoy the show? Enough to start buying the episodes. I eventually purchases all of the streaming episodes that were available. I bought the DVDs of the available episodes that weren't available streaming. I got the Loose Cannon episodes. And, when all was said and done, I had all of the classic Doctor Who episodes.

Originally, they were imported into iTunes -- well, the ones that weren't iTunes purchases, at least; iTunes purchases were already there -- and I watched them that way. When I decided to convert my library to Plex, I started converting the Doctor Who episodes, but waited until last to do those. There were so many, and I did everything else first, since there were not nearly as many.

I never did finish that project. I got into Jon Pertwee's episodes, but didn't make it to Tom Baker. Until recently, that is.

Since I set up the new Plex server, I moved all of the episodes from the old Plex server over. Then, I decided to the rest of Doctor Who classic episodes. And that's my current project. I found out I had prepped many of the episodes to move into Plex but never did, so this won't be quite as daunting. Plus, the later seasons didn't have as many episodes. Through the first 10 seasons, there were 351 episodes. That's over half of the episodes, with less than 40% of the seasons. The next 10 seasons should go a lot quicker than the first 10.

I will say Plex and the agents that look up metadata have done well in the fist 10 seasons, so this will be a lot easier moving into Plex than it was putting into iTunes.

I'm looking forward to having classic Doctor Who episodes once again becoming a part of my Streaming Life.

Watching the World Series as a streamer

The Fall Classic, the World Series, began last night, and for the third time in five years, two National League teams are playing for the title.

Okay, I know the Astros are in the American League, having moved there beginning with the 2013 season. But that was a bad idea. Major League Baseball had moved the Brewers from the American League to the National League in 1998. They decided they needed to move a team from the American to the National in 2013, but didn't move the Brewers back. Rather, the Astros made the move. But, just like I still think of the Brewers as an American League team, I still think of the Astros as a National League team. So that's the background of my little joke.

Anyway, the series started last night, and will go at least three more games. If you're a streamer -- and if you're not, why not? -- and if you're a baseball fan, you're probably wanting to watch the series, even if neither of the teams are yours.

So, how does a streamer watch the World Series? There are a couple of ways.

Sports Bar

Okay, this isn't really answering the question, but this is a viable option. Watching a big game at a sports bar may be the perfect way for you. If so, that's a great option. Just make sure someone is capable of driving safely afterwards. But, what about from home. How do you watch the World Series at home?

Free

If you live close enough to a Fox affiliate, you can pick up the game via an antenna. I have an antenna and am able to watch the games that way. But what other options?

Streaming

There are several live streaming services that carry Fox local broadcasts. They will run from $55/month to $70/month.:

• Sling Orange, select markets only ($35)
• Vidgo ($55, $10 first month) see note
• Hulu+Live TV ($65)
• YouTube TV ($65)
• Fubo ($65)
• DirecTV Stream, formerly AT&T TV ($70)

Note: Vidgo is not commonly listed in most online Websites that mention watching local channels. However, it is available in my area, whereas Sling TV doesn't carry the Fox local affiliate here. Do your research before picking Vidgo, in the event you are in an area where the local Fox affiliate isn't available.

And that's it. If you want to include the World Series in your Streaming Life, you have options.

Comparing Vidgo plans

Vidgo is a live streaming service that doesn't get as much attention as the others. I'm not sure why.

There are eight major live streaming services that are considered cable alternatives:

• Frndly.TV ($6/month)
• Philo ($25/month)
• Sling Orange ($35/month)
• Vidgo ($55/month)
• Fubo ($65/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($65/month)
• YouTube TV ($65/month)
• DirecTV Stream ($70/month)

As you can see, they are priced from cheapest to most expensive. They all serve one basic function, and that is to provide an alternative to cable while still offering live TV.

Sling TV was the first, and it gets a lot of attention. Hulu gets a lot of attention, building off of their cheap on-demand service. YouTube TV is Google, and gets plenty of attention. DirecTV Stream is AT&T TV rebranded, riding the DirecTV name (note that Sling doesn't ride the DISH name, even though it's owned by DISH). Fubo is huge into sports, and gets lots of attention.

Vidgo and Frndly.TV get the least amount of attention. Many streaming topic Websites talk about 5 or 6 of those, usually skipping Vidgo and Frndly.TV when doing comparisons. I've talked about Frndly.TV before. Today, it's Vidgo.

Vidgo offers two English language plans, and one Spanish Language plan. The $30/month Spanish Mas plan offers "30 channels," the $55/month plan includes "95+ channels," and the $80/month plan includes "112+ channels."

I don't subscribe to Vidgo, but the Website doesn't list that many. It lists 89 on the Plus package:

• A&E
• ABC
• ABC News
• ACC Network
• Animal Planet
• Aspire
• AWE
• Baby TV
• BET
• Big Ten Network
• Bloomberg
• BYU TV
• Cheddar
• Classic Reruns
• CMT
• Comedy Central
• Curiosity Stream
• Discovery
• Disney
• Disney Jr.
• Disney XD
• DIY
• ESPN
• ESPN Deportes
• ESPN U
• ESPN2
• ESPNews
• FETV
• Food Network
• Fox
• Fox Business
• FOX Deportes
• Fox News
• Freeform
• FS 1
• FS 2
• FX
• FXM
• FXX
• FYI
• Game Show Network
• Get TV
• Hallmark
• Hallmark Drama
• Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
• HGTV
• History
• i24 News
• ID Discovery
• INSP
• Kids Street
• Law & Crime
• Lifetime
• Lifetime Movies
• Longhorn Network
• MAVTV
• Motortrend
• MTV
• Nat Geo
• Nat Geo Wild
• Newsmax TV
• Newsnation
• NFL Network
• NFL Redzone
• Nick Jr
• Nickelodeon
• OAN
• OWN
• PAC -12 NETWORK
• PAC -12 NETWORK Arizona
• PAC -12 NETWORK Bay Area
• PAC -12 NETWORK Los Angeles
• PAC -12 NETWORK Mountain
• PAC -12 NETWORK Oregon
• PAC -12 NETWORK Washington
• Paramount Network
• QVC
• Science
• SEC Network
• Sony Movie Channel
• Teen Nick
• TLC
• Travel Channel
• TV Land
• TV One
• Uptv
• VH1
• Viceland
• Vrtuo Sports

The Premium package lists 102, those 89 plus:

• AHC
• BeIn Sports English
• CMT Music
• Cooking
• Destination America
• Discovery Family
• Discovery Life
• Great American County
• MTV Classic
• MTV2
• Nick Toons
• RFD-TV
• Stadium
• The Cowboy Channel

Is the $25 difference worth those 14 channels? That depends on how much you like those channels. As for the difference in count, either the Website is claiming more than it actually offers, or the list of channels isn't up to date. I suspect the latter.

Regardless, it's a good service. Missing out on NBC and CBS hurts, but if you have an antenna, you really aren't missing anything.

The real draw for Vidgo seems to be the Spanish language package. In fact, when it launched, that seemed to be the primary focus. The English language service was added later, and now makes up two of the three services.

The Spanish Mas plan includes:

• Altres Series
• Antenna 3
• Atrecine
• Baby TV
• BeIN Sports - Spanish
• Canal Sur
• Centroamerica TV
• Cinelatino
• Cine Sony
• Discovery En Espanol
• Discovery Familia (DF)
• ESPN Deportes
• estudio5
• Fox Deportes
• Fox Life
• History Channel Espanol
• Hola TV
• Hogar
• Nat Geo Mundo
• NTN24
• NTN24
• Pasiones
• RCN Novelas
• Telefe
• TV Azteca
• TV Dominicana
• TYC Sports
• VideoRola
• WAPA America

That is the best of the Spanish language streaming services I've seen. Sling TV offers some "International" add-ons to their packages, but it doesn't compare to what Vidgo offers. None of the other services do.

If you are looking for an alternative to one of the more expensive live streaming services, Vidgo is one to consider. If you are looking for Spanish language streaming content in your Streaming Life, Vidgo looks to be the one to get.